Pimpin' Pimpin' - Teardrop Trailer Build Blog: May 2014

So after a rush last fall to finish the build during the flood-pocalyse, followed by a successful inaugural camping outing, the trailer went into storage for the winter. Fast forward a few months, and it's time to get ready for the 2014 camping season, where I hope to log some serious miles and some serious camping weekends in my new toy. Two important installs are needed to be ready for the season, as follows.

The first item is the battery. After some research, and a near purchase of an Optima Blue Top battery, I decided on the 27 series sealed, AGM deep cycle store brand battery from Cabela's. I decide on this battery for a few reasons. First, I wanted a sealed AGM battery because I wanted to store the battery inside the trailer for security and weight balance (in the back, behind the axle and not adding to tongue weight), and I was concerned about spills and gas venting inside the enclosed space. Also, AGM is rated well for cycles and charge holding. After doing some research, the Cabela's battery was better reviewed than the Optima, and was better priced per ampere-hour too.

So to install I decided on the under-counter shelf in the back. After weighing some options, I came up with a fastening arrangement involving 5/16 eye bolts, Tee Nuts, and 9" rubber tarp straps. The tee nuts enabled machine threading the eye bolts through a piece of plywood separating the cabinet from the sleeping quarters with flush face on the back side. With a paper thin vertical clearance to spare, the battery install looks like this:

Next up is the diamond plate stone guard. Having met some nice fellow campers in September, one thing I noticed about their vintage canned ham camper was that the aluminum skin on the lower front face of their trailer was sandblasted after years of over-the-road towing into a flimsy piece of foil. To protect my trailer skin, I decide to install a sacrificial rock guard on the lower face of the trailer, as found on many of today's teardrops and Airstream campers. Fortunately for my budget, what I came up with also cost hundreds less than the commercial RVs.

Instead of a bare piece of aluminum, I decided on a piece of bling, and what better way to toughen up a teardrop camper than diamond plate? The shiny stuff I found out is called Tread Brite. After a few phone calls I found what turned out to be the Mecca of aluminum supply in the Mountain West, and 80 bucks later I was the proud owner of a 15" piece of .080 sheet. Working off the idea of "floating" the stone guard and not allowing metal to metal contact, a few custom plastic washers and some strategically placed butyl caulk snippets, and I had my solution: